Massaging apparatus



United States Patent Inventor Walter J. Perry Brookfield, Wisconsin (1315 S. 124th St., West Allis, WI, 53214) Appl. No. 699,709

Filed Jan. 22, 1968 Division of Ser. No. 561,169, June 28, 1966, now Pat. No. 3,372,604, dated Mar. 12, 1968 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,607,062 8/1952 L6 Febvre 15/41 3,091,776 6/1963 Roberts 4/158 FOREIGN PATENTS 573,936 3/1958 ltaly 128/56 Primary ExaminerL. W1Trapp Attorney-Cyril M. Hajewski ABSTRACT: A massaging and scrubbing apparatus having a plurality of brushes that are supported in a frame and rotated by power for producing the massaging and scrubbing action. Each of the several brushes is supported by a separate antifriction bearing but is retained in operating position by a spring. The brush is slidable relative to the frame and may be slid axially against the pressure of the spring to disengage its driving connection with the power drive and enable it to be withdrawn from the frame. The brushes may thus be readily removed individually from the apparatus for servicing or replacement.

MASSAGING APPARATUS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a division of my co-pending patent application, Ser. No. 561,169, filed June 28, 1966 and now US. Pat. No. 3,372,604.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to massaging or scrubbing apparatus utilizing cylindrical or shaped brushes that are rotated by power about their cylindrical axes to produce the massaging or scrubbing action.

2. Description of the Prior Art A variety of apparatuses are available which utilize rotary brushes for producing a massaging or scrubbing action on the human body. Such brushes are usually of cylindrical configuration and are rotated by power about their cylindrical axes. For example, US. Pat. No. 3,196,867 issued on June 27, 1965 discloses a massaging and scrubbing appliance having a plurality of rotary brushes that are journaled in a frame and rotated by a source of power. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,471 issued on March 19, I963 discloses power rotated brushes especially adapted for scrubbing the hands of a human being, as of a surgeon preparing to perform surgery.

Appliances of this type are frequently employed in conjunction with water or a lotion as well as with a soap or detergent. Because of the type of use to which they are subjected it is desirable that such brushes be readily removable from the frame for servicing or for replacement. Because of the fact that these brushes are connected to a power drive for effecting their rotation they cannot be quickly removed from the ap paratus in the prior art structures. Their removal necessitates an appreciable amount of disassembly which is accomplished by the use of appropriate tools.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a massaging and scrubbing apparatus with power rotated brushes that are journalled in anti-friction bearings but can be readily removed from the apparatus within a few seconds without the use of any tools, by a simple manual manipulation of each brush.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improved massaging and scrubbing apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of brushes journaled in anti-friction bearings carried by a frame. The brushes are connected to a power drive for effecting their rotation. The

. brushes are especially mounted to enable them to be readily disengaged from the power drive and the frame for removal from the apparatus. To thisend the core of the brushes have sliding engagement with the power drive by means of a key and keyway or a squared end of the core of the brush in enan axial recess for receiving a portion of a ball that is also engaged in a cooperating recess formed in a plunger which is slidably disposed in a bore formed in the frame. A spring within the bore urges the plunger out of the bore to retain its recess in engagement with the ball, and the latter, in turn, is in engagement with the recess in the end of the core of the brush. The 'ball therefore, rotatably supports the brush with a minimum of resistance to rotation and retains the brush in accurate alignment. In order to remove the brush from its mounting it is only necessary to force the brush axially against the force applied by the spring to disengage the coupling to the driving member. After the drive connection has been thus disengaged, the brush may be tilted away from the frame and lifted out of the bore that contains its opposite end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing and other objects of the invention, which will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, may be achieved by means of the apparatus described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a plan view of a massaging appliance having power operated rotary brushes that are mounted in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the driving motor being omitted from the view;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the massaging appliance depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view substantially in vertical sec tion showing the improved mounting of the present invention rotatably supporting one of the brushes in the massaging appliance illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective'view showing the individual parts of the mounting in the order of their assembly.

Reference is now mademore particularly to the drawings and specifically to FIGS. I and 2 thereof which illustrate a body massaging and scrubbing appliance incorporating the present invention. It comprises generally a frame 10 that rotatably supports four rotary elongated brushes 11 in parallel relationship with respect to each other. The frame 10 includes a top plate 12 on which is mounted an electric motor 15 having an output shaft (not shown) connected to a drive 16 which, in turn, is operatively connected to rotate a vertical shaft 17. The vertical shaft 17 is keyed to rotate a pinion 18 which is part of a gear train generally identified by the reference numeral 20.

The several gears of the gear train 20 are disposed within suitable recesses 27 that are formed in a plate 28. The recesses retain the several gears in operating position in meshing engagement with each other and they are covered by the top plate 12 which overlies the plate 28. The gear train 20 includes a pinion 21 in meshing engagement with the pinion '18. The latter is in meshing engagement with a gear 22 which, in turn, is in meshing engagement with another gear 23. Thus, rotation of the vertical shaft 17 by the motor 13 causes rotation of the gears 22 and 23 in opposite directions.

Since the pinion 21 is in meshing engagement with the pinion 18, it likewise will be rotated by rotation of the vertical shaft 17 and it is in meshing engagement with a gear 25. The latter is in meshing engagement with another gear 26 so that the gears 25 and 26 are also rotated in opposite directions relative to each other. Each of the gears 22, 23, 25 and 26 is coupled to one of the four brushes 11 for driving its associated brush in a rotary movement to effect a massaging action or a scrubbing action on parts of the human body, such as the back.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the brushes 11 comprises a shaft or core 30 having bristles 31 extending radially therefrom. The upper extremity of the core 30 is provided with a squared end 32 for insertion into a square hole 33 formed in each of the gears 22, 23, 25 and 26. Such reception of the squared end 32 of the core 30 in the square hole 33 of the associated gear produces a driving connection so that rotation of the gear will produce a corresponding rotation of its associated brush 11. The driving connection between the gears and their associated brushes ll, of course, may be otherwise constructed, such as by means of a key and keyway arrangement, but the connection must be such so that the core 30 is slidable axially relative to its cooperating gear to disengage the connection between the gear and the brush 1 I.

The opposite end of each of the cores 30 is rotatably supported in a bottom plate 34 of the frame 10. All of the brushes are supported in the plate 34 in identical manner so that the following description will refer to only one of the brushes 11 but it will apply to all four. The rotary mounting'of the core 30 of the brushes 11 in the plate 34 is especially adapted to render the brushes easily removable from the frame 10 for cleaning or replacement purposes. To remove any one of the brushes from the frame it is only necessary to move the brush axially toward the plate 34 against the pressure of a spring to slide the squared end 32 of the shaft 30 out of engagement with the square hole 33 in the cooperating gear. When the squared end 32 has been thus disengaged, it is only necessary to tilt the top of the brush 11 outwardly to clear the frame 10 and then lift it out of the plate 34.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the brush 11 that is driven by the gear 23. The end portion 35 of the core 30 opposite its squared end 32 is of reduced diameter and is provided with an axial end recess 38 for receiving a portion of a ball 40. The ball 40 is retained in the recess 38 by a cylindrical cap 41 that is provided with an axial opening 42 which is large enough to permit a portion of the ball 40 to extend therethrough but small enough to prevent the ball 40 from passing through the hole. The portion of the ball 40 that extends beyond the cap 41, through its hole 42, is in engagement with a circular recess 43 formed in a plunger 45.

The plunger 45 is slidably disposed within a bore 46 that extends partially through the plate 34 as clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. A compression spring 47 is located in the bore 46 with one end bearing against the bottom of the bore 46 and the other end bearing against the plunger 45 for continuously urging the plunger 45 out of the bore 46. Such action serves to retain the plunger 45 in engagement with the ball 40 and continually urges the core 30 axially in a direction to retain its squared end 32 in engagement with the square hole 33 of the gear 23.

It is therefore apparent that the rotary support of the core 30 in the plate 34 is by means of the ball 40 to reduce the friction to a minimum so that the core 30 is freely rotatable relative to the frame 10. However, despite this anti-friction bearing mounting of the core 30, it is readily removable from the frame 10. Its removal may be simply accomplished by grasping the brush l1 and applying an axial pressure to compress the spring 47. This forces the end 35 of the core 30 and its associated cap 41 into the bore 46 to clear the opposite squared end 32 of the core 30 from the square hole 33 in the gear 23. The upper portion of the brush 11 may then be tilted outwardly to clear the frame 10 and the brush 11 then lifted out of the bore 46. Although the brush 11 will be removed from the bore 46, the ball 40 will remain assembled to the core 30 of the brush 11 by reason of the cylindrical cap 41. This arrangement prevents loss of the ball 40 and retains it accurately positioned for subsequent assembly in the frame 10. In the absence of the cylindrical cap 41, the ball 40 would be free to roll out of the recess 43 and be apt to be lost when the brush 11 is removed from the frame. The retention of the ball 40 to the shaft 30 by the cap 41 prevents inadvertent loss of the ball and facilitates subsequent assembly.

Although it is not essential that the parts be fabricated of a particular material it is found that for quiet and efficient operation the formation of the core 30, the cylindrical cap 41 and the plunger 45 of plastic, with the ball 40 being of metal produces an ideal combination.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of the illustrative embodiment of the present invention it will become apparent that a new and improved massaging and scrubbing apparatus has been provided in which power rotated brushes are supported by anti-friction bearings to reduce the friction resisting rotation to a minimum but the brushes are readily removable from the apparatus in a matter of moments by a manual manipulation of the brushes.

Although the illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail for the purpose of making a full disclosure of a practical operative arrangement by means of which the invention may be practiced, it is to be understood that various novel features of the invention may be incorporated in other arrangements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

lclaim: 1. In a massaging and scrubbing apparatus; a frame; a

source of power; at least one brush connected to be rotated by said source of power, said brush having two ends with the first end being coupled to said source of power for completing the driving connection between said source of power and said brush, the second end of said brush having a concentric recess; said frame having a second recess in axial alignment with the concentric recess in the second end of said brush; and a ball having a portion in the recess in said frame and a portion in the recess in the second end of said brush so that said ball separates the second end of said brush from the surface of said frame for rotatably supporting the brush in said frame.

2. A massaging and scrubbing apparatus according to claim 1; including a spring in said frame urging said ball into engagement with said brush and retaining said brush in operating engagement with said source of power.

3. A massaging and scrubbing apparatus according to claim 1; including a plunger slidably supported by said frame for axial movement in alignment with the axis of said brush; and wherein the second recess is concentrically formed in said plunger for receiving a portion of said ball; and a spring in said frame acting against said plunger to urge said plunger toward the second end of said brush for retaining said ball in engagement with its two cooperating recesses.

4. A massaging and scrubbing apparatus according to claim 1; including a drive mechanism carried by said frame and connected to be actuated by said source of power; coupling means at the first end of said brush in sliding engagement with said drive mechanism for operatively coupling said brush to said drive mechanism to be rotated thereby with said brush being slidable relative to said drive mechanism for sliding said coupling means into and out of engagement with said drive mechanism; and a spring in said frame urging said ball into engagement with said brush and urging said brush axially to retain said coupling means in engagement with said drive mechanism, said spring being yieldable to enable said brush to be slid against the force of said spring for disengaging said coupling means and removing said brush from said frame. 

